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Dr Toberty said the high training standards meant that UK doctors were being targeted by other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn this country we have really excellent training for undergraduate and postgraduate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
International market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur doctors have an excellent knowledge base and communication skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe rest of the world knows this and wants us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe need to recognise this is an international market. Places like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Middle East, the Republic of Ireland realise this and are very much pushing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just people moving abroad, it\u2019s people retiring early, it\u2019s people moving into other sectors, it\u2019s people saying I\u2019ve had enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe all know morale is low but very little is being done to tackle that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Toberty said one way of improving morale was for employers to produce a plan for the future travel of the NHS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s about hope,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have had years of austerity and the overall message to the workforce in the NHS is things aren\u2019t going to get much better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI understand we can\u2019t turn the situation around overnight, but we can provide a plan and that hope that there are going be good careers coming here and there are going to be ways of maintaining a work-life balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPart of that, of course, is about remuneration and about pay, but it\u2019s about so much more in terms of working conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about the way we train people, moving them around the country, moving people away from their partners, their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGiving people parking tickets when they park in the wrong place on call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese are small things that chip away at people\u2019s psychological wellbeing and make people feel undervalued.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Student loan forgiveness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Dr Toberty added that debt forgiveness, which could see some or all of NHS workers\u2019 student fees written, might also be a way to improve morale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got young people aged 23, 24, graduating with more than \u00a3100,000 worth of debt,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven when they start paying off their student loan, the interest on the debt is rising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really depressing to look at your debt and think you\u2019ve got no chance of paying it off and paying it down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGiving people realistic prospects of paying off their student loans would be a good way forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n